Monday, July 20, 2009

Snarkicism

My coworkers and I stumbled upon a rival's website today while attempting to hunt down the contact information for one of his former employers. As I sat in my cubicle, all by my lonesome, updating interior elevations, I heard Radio yell, "Guys, come look at Moog's website!" Moog is not, of course, the rival's real name. Radio is not named Radio, Pacman is not named Pacman, and Scooter is not - thankfully - actually named Scooter. This is all to protect certain peoples' identities, as well as my own employment.

We all rushed into Radio's cubicle and there, on the screen, was Moog, orating to someone off-camera about his theory of architecture - which is pretty much Le Corbusier 101 - and the materials he uses ("Hey, we use those, too!"). It wasn't until the second go-round that we realized there was more to the site than just the video, which served only to make Moog look somewhat laughable in the eyes of architects, but which might seem impressive to lay-people.

What was so striking about the occurrence and its effect on all of us is that we all respect Moog very highly - he's probably one of the most talented architects in Texas, myself not-withstanding . However, the video made him appear to be an overblown and pompous ass, which I'm sure he's not. I've never actually met the man, since he is too far above my own plebeian status in the world of architecture.

Of course, the rampant snarkiness that ensued as we watched the video is just one reason that I love my job so much. The guys I work with are genuinely funny, and have the same "take no prisoners" sense of humor that I inherited from my father. They can turn anything into a joke, and the best jokes are at their own expense, typically. Today, however, they weren't forced to mock themselves as the all-knowing and incredibly impressive Moog gave us ample fodder for that.